Shippo's Tale
by Yukimi the Ice Goddess
Summary: When Shippo makes a slide show about his story, The Dog, the Cat, and the Wolf, Inuyasha and Kagome don't expect much. But when the movie starts, they see a completely different scene than Shippo's childlike pictures...
1. The slides

Hello, this is Yukimi the Ice Goddess once again. I'm very disappointed that I haven't had any reviews for my Much Ado about Nothing parody. Really, where are all of the Inuyasha fans? Hopefully, reading this right now.

Inuyasha doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and whatever company sponsors her. Also, the story I am speaking of doesn't belong to me either. Any devoted Inuyasha fans will remember that Shippo originally wrote this story to try and help Inuyasha get back together with Kagome. I'm just playing off of it.

So, sit back and enjoy Shippo's Tale!

* * *

"Kagome, can you help me?"

Kagome turned around to see Shippo carrying a large amount of papers. He seemed to be having difficulty keeping track of them all and kept dropping them. "What's all of that, Shippo?" Kagome asked. She picked up one of the papers and examined it carefully.

"Hey, don't look at those! It's supposed to be a surprise!" Shippo cried out, grabbing the paper back.

"Really, Shippo, what's this all about?" Kagome asked.

Shippo looked down for a moment as if thinking how to phrase what he was going to say."Kagome, remember when you told me about a 'slide show'?" Shippo finally asked.

Kagome nodded. The week before, she had told him the story to pass the time. He seemed to be very interested in it and asked her all kinds of questions. "I remember. Why?"

Shippo put the papers down and took Kagome's hand. "I was planning on running one, but I need you to help me use the projector."

That was the last thing Kagome expected to hear. "You want to run a slide show?" she said.

Shippo nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah! I thought the whole village could see it tonight! But can you help me out a little?"

"Sure, of course!" Kagome said. She was glad to be taking part in something.

Over the course of the month, things had been extremely quiet around the village. All of the pieces of the Shikon jewel had been collected and no monsters attacked the village. The jewel had been purified to ward the monsters away. Inuyasha, Kagome and the rest were greeted as heroes to the entire village. However, because of all this peace, there was nothing to do aside from tending to the village crops. Kagome spent most of her time in her own world, but she kept coming back every week to help.

"So what's this slide show about?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I can't tell you. I told you it was a surprise!"

Kagome sighed. Shippo could be a singularly annoying creature at times.

"What's a surprise?" a voice said from behind her.

Kagome turned around to see Inuyasha, his arms crossed. "Shippo's making a slide show," she explained. "Do you want to help?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Please. I don't have time for that."

Kagome frowned. "It's not like you have anything better to do!" she said.

"Listen, you go on making your little slide show, and I'll do what I want to do." With that, Inuyasha walked off with a huff.

"Sometimes I think that I shouldn't even bother," Kagome thought hopelessly.

Shippo, seeing the look on Kagome's face, patted her on the back in what he thought was a comforting way. "Don't worry about him, Kagome. He's just stubborn. You know he really cares about you." He grinned as a hint of red appeared on Kagome's cheeks.

"Let's work on the slide show," she said hurriedly, getting the papers together.

Shippo walked behind her, saying, "Whatever you say, Kagome."

* * *

"Shippo's doing what?"

"He's making a movie!"

"A movie?"

"You know, moving pictures. Lady Kagome said something about it."

"Lady Kagome? You mean this was her idea?"

"No, it was Shippo's."

"Oh, I just can't wait to see it!"

The entire village speculated over what Shippo and Kagome were doing. Shippo wouldn't let her see the slides after she showed him how to thread the projector, so he told her to go and make the set. Kagome spent the rest of the afternoon placing mats around the projector screen. "I can't believe I'm doing this," Kagome thought, trying to drag an incredibly heavy mat over near the screen.

"Funny, I thought you were stronger than that, Kagome."

Kagome felt the weight of the mat lessen as Inuyasha picked up the back of it. "So you've decided to help after all?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha didn't answer, merely rolled up the mat and carried it over his shoulders. Kagome smiled at his retreating back briefly before remembering that she had a job to do. She ran off to grab more mats.

* * *

"Everyone, can I have your attention please!" Shippo called to his large audience.

The work was done. Nearly everyone in the village was there to see the show. Kagome was in the back row with Miroku and Sango. Inuyasha wasn't anywhere in sight. Kagome looked around to catch sight of the half demon but there wasn't a sign of him.

"Now Sango, if the movie turns out to be scary, I'll be there to comfort you," Miroku said. His hands made his way slowly to her shoulders.

Sango laughed harshly. "Grope me, you mean." She removed the monk's hands and rewarded him with a punch on the arm.

"Shh, the movie is starting," Kagome whispered.

Inuyasha at that moment was in a tree only a few feet away. He watched the screen out of the corner of his eye. "This had better be good," he mumbled.

Shippo cleared his throat and held up his tiny hands for silence. The crowd grew quiet as he made his way to the projector.

"My movie is called, 'The Dog, the Cat, the Wolf, and a Bond of Friendship'," he said. "I hope you enjoy it."

Kagome frowned. That sounded very familiar. Shippo turned the crank that he and Kagome had fashioned to start the show. Since there was no sound, Shippo took it upon himself to narrate.

"Once upon a time," he began, "there was a dog. The dog lived all alone in a tall tree in a big forest." The picture on the screen depicted a dog like creature eating a fish.

It looked just like Inuyasha.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha thought. He adjusted himself so that he could see the screen better. Kagome straightened up, remembering where she had heard the story before.

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded Inuyasha and Kagome's vision. What they saw when the light dimmed was a scene much different than the picture that Shippo was showing.

* * *

The sun was going down. All of the animals in the woodland area were making their way back to their dwellings. All of them but one.

The dog demon, Inuyasha, made his way through the woods searching for prey. The animals sensed his presence and hid. You could never tell what Inuyasha would be in the mood for.

He finally stopped by a flowing river, thick with fresh fish. He reached his hand into the river and struck. The fish he had caught struggled to get away but eventually lost its life. Inuyasha gripped the fish in his mouth to carry back to his tree.

A scream sounded on the wind. He stopped and sniffed his nose. A demon like himself was in his territory. He followed the scream, planning to give the trespasser a taste of what he was capable of.

The screaming continued, followed by a roar of triumph. Inuyasha quickened his pace. When he arrived at his destination, he saw a creature of about his size being tormented by the intruding demon.

Inuyasha immediately jumped into action. He leaped and sank his teeth into the demon. The monster roared and tried to shake him off, but he hung on and scratched the demon with his claws. The demon tried to fight back but with no avail. Eventually, it gave up and ran off towards its own territory, howling in pain. Inuyasha let go of it and looked to see what its prey was.

It was a woman. She had long black hair and deep brown eyes. Her clothes were torn and dirty from running away from her pursuer. She also had cat ears and a tail. Her ears were bent with fright.

The woman stood up and brushed herself off. She looked Inuyasha in the eye. "Thank you for saving me from that demon," she said. "I thought I was going to die."

Inuyasha glared at her. "I didn't do it for you. That demon was in my territory."

The woman smiled. "Well, thank you all the same."

Inuyasha turned his back and said, "You should be getting back to your home. You don't want to be attacked again. Your blood's like a beacon for hungry monsters."

"All right," the woman said. "But at least tell me your name."

"It's Inuyasha," he grunted.

The woman smiled. "I am Kagome. I hope to see you again, Inuyasha." She walked off into the darkness, limping slightly as she went.

Inuyasha snorted and walked off. He was hungry and he had a fish to eat.

I hope this is alright. I'm planning on doing more in later chapters.

Do you think I should scrap this? Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames please (if you can't tell the difference then here it is: flames are mean and have no point and criticism tells you how to get better).

Please review!


	2. The cat finds a home

Hello again! This is Yukimi the Ice Goddess with the second chapter of Shippo's Tale.

I wrote this when there were only four reviews, so if I don't mention your name here, it's because I had no idea you existed!

Elerrina: Actually, Shippo made his own projector. Note that a crank was used to power it instead of...whatever actually makes a projector work. Okay, I'm not a genius in the ways of projectors. As for the screen, Kagome made that by stringing a blanket between two trees.

Also, the reason that there are no spelling errors in this is because...drum roll please... I have a spell checker! I'm surprised at how many people can make spelling errors when they are typing this on the computer, unless they don't have a spell checker in which case they are forgiven. To tell the truth, I am a horrible speller.

I'm glad you like the story.

Kitti Kat: Thank you so much!

Yoyo Person: Yes, this is Shippo's story. He wrote it himself.

Dark Inu Fan: Another fan! Thank you so much. I hope to see all of your reviews in upcoming chapters.

And so, without further ado, Shippo's Tale!

* * *

Inuyasha's sleep was disturbed by a soft rustling behind him. He growled, turned over and shut his eyes even tighter. Something poked his side. "Get out of here...I'll make you pay..." he murmured. The poking continued. He lost all restraint and sat up, claws out ready to kill.

It was the girl from the other night. She threw up her arms in self defense and trembled meekly. "Sorry...I didn't mean to make you angry..." she stuttered. "Don't hurt me..."

Inuyasha lowered his claws and stared at the girl. He didn't recognize her at first, but then the memory of the previous night came back to him in a rush. "You are...Kagome, right?"

Kagome sighed in relief, her ears perking up. "Yes, that's me! Thanks again for rescuing me!"

Inuyasha sighed. He didn't have time to deal with her. He got up and walked off. Kagome watched him go for a second or two before following him.

"Um..." she started to speak.

"Go away," Inuyasha interrupted. "This isn't your territory. I know every creature that moves here." He walked over to the river and looked for the fish that might become his breakfast.

"I know that..." she said, following him to the river.

"Then why are you here?" Inuyasha snapped impatiently. He had just spotted a fine trout and was getting ready to snatch it.

"I was wondering if I could stay here with you!" she blurted out in a rush.

Inuyasha missed the fish in his surprise, scaring it away further down the river. He glared at the girl. "That was going to be my breakfast," he growled.

"Sorry...but I want to stay here. I don't really have a home to go to."

Inuyasha snorted. "Don't you have a litter somewhere? I thought cats were part of a pride."

"Only the wild ones," Kagome replied. "My whole family was killed by demons."

Inuyasha was past listening. He went to gather wood for a fire. Maybe he could roast a rabbit.

"I don't have to live WITH you," she said. "Can I just live in your territory? I'm sure there's room..." she stopped, noticing that nothing she said was getting through to him. "Are you listening?!" she snapped.

"No. Go away," Inuyasha said.

Kagome sighed. "If you're worried that I'll steal all your game, don't. I can survive on berries and stuff."

Inuyasha lay down and pretended to be sleeping. Kagome stamped her foot and walked off, tail bushed out. "Fine! I don't need you! I can find somewhere else!" she called back.

Inuyasha opened one eye lazily. Finally, he thought. The wench is gone. He got up from his position and went in the opposite direction.

Inuyasha used his sense of smell to track down a fat rabbit. He was about to go in for the kill when it noticed he was there and hopped away. Inuyasha's stomach grumbled angrily. He followed the rabbit quietly.

The rabbit in question was taking care of its litter. If Inuyasha had a little more grace, he might have been able to catch one of the babies. However, he stepped on a twig and cursed, causing the rabbit family to scamper away.

"Gaaa, why is this so difficult?" he muttered. It seemed that the animals were getting a lot smarter. Either that or he wasn't trying hard enough. He was about to go after them again when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, wondering what it was.

It was the girl. She had her hands behind her back and her tail was waving from side to side. "What do you want? Come to laugh at me, is that it?" Inuyasha barked at her.

Kagome didn't move. "Oh. I guess you aren't interested in this then," she said. She flung a large object at him and stalked away. "Take it," she said.

It was a rabbit. Not just a rabbit however, it was the rabbit that he had been trying to catch all morning. He mulled over what this meant. The girl must have caught it herself. "Hey," he called after her, "come with me."

Kagome turned. "Why should I?"

"Just come," he shot back. He turned to go back to his tree. Kagome paused for a short moment before following him.

When they arrived at his tree, Inuyasha picked up a log and handed it to her. "What are you waiting for? Start a fire. If you're going to stay here, you have to help out," he said before getting on with his work.

Kagome's heart leaped. "Thank you! I promise I'll work hard!" She went over to hug him.

"Hey, quit it!" he growled, unlatching her hands from his body. "None of that, all right? I'm the boss around here. That means no hugging."

Kagome nodded. "Yes sir, Inuyasha-san." She got to work making a fire while Inuyasha watched.

* * *

"The dog made the cat work extremely hard to earn her keep," Shippo said.

Kagome snapped back to reality as she saw what was happening. Shippo was continuing with the show. The picture on the screen showed a cat-like figure hauling logs while the dog sat against a tree. Kagome shook her head. What had she just seen?

"Shippo's drawings are very good, aren't they?" Sango said. "They look like they could come to life at any moment."

Kagome nodded absentmindedly. Sango and Miroku hadn't seen what she had. Was she going crazy? She looked to the sky to try and clear her thoughts. Her eyes drifted over to the tree where Inuyasha was sitting. He looked extremely confused as well. He looked toward her and their eyes met. Kagome saw it in his eyes.

Inuyasha had seen the vision too.

That's it for part two. I hope that everyone is enjoying it so far. I look forward to your reviews. Remember, constructive criticism is okay.


	3. The well

Konnichiwa, all you loyal readers out there! This is the third chapter of Shippo's Tale. I really hope you all like it so far.

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own any of the characters.

Special thanks to all who reviewed. Enjoy!

* * *

Kagome stood up from where she was sitting, causing the person behind her to get extremely annoyed. She started to walk over to Inuyasha, motioning to him that she was coming over.

"Kagome, where are you going?" Sango said.

Kagome turned around to look at her, trying to think of a good excuse. "Uh...I need to go to the bathroom," she said.

Miroku stood up. "What, all the way over there? I'm sure you'll need someone to accompany you...Ouch!"

Sango grabbed his arm and jerked him back into his seat. "I'm sure she'll be fine, MONK." She waved to Kagome before she resumed dealing with Miroku.

Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was coming toward him. After making sure nobody was looking, he sneaked down the tree, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the woods. "So, what's up? You seem jittery," he demanded, still holding onto her arm.

Kagome removed his hand, blushing as she did so. "Who are you kidding, Inuyasha? Did you see it or not?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "So, you saw it too? That vision?"

Kagome nodded before taking a quick look back at Shippo's audience. "I don't think that anybody else saw what we did," Kagome muttered. "They're all acting normally. If they saw it, they'd be more astounded." She turned back to Inuyasha. "I wonder why we're the only ones who're seeing this..."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Who knows? Why don't we watch the rest of it and see what happens? I'm actually kind of curious."

Kagome nodded readily. "All right. We'll do that."

Inuyasha started to go back to his tree when Kagome caught his arm. "Hold it, where are you going?"

Inuyasha snorted. "What, you think I'm going to sit with you? I wouldn't be caught dead watching that thing."

Kagome tugged his arm. "Well you have been caught. By me. Now come and watch! I can't say that I'm going to the bathroom every time we need to talk about this." Inuyasha sighed with exasperation and followed her.

"Oh, hello, Inuyasha! Did you come to watch?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I'm a bit curious at what it's about."

Miroku laughed. "Doesn't Shippo's dog look a bit like you, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, just stared at the screen waiting for the next scene.

"What did we miss?" Kagome asked.

"Well," Sango began, "the dog is sending the cat on all sorts of errands so she can prove that she can hold her own without depending on him. But the cat is proving that the dog can't quite live without her either. So the dog makes her catch his breakfast every morning."

Shippo continued his narration. "When the dog found a snake in his tree the next day, he decided to ask the cat about it." The screen showed the dog scuttling away from his tree while a venomous snake hissed at him.

"I do NOT run like that," Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome pinched him. "Hush, let's concentrate and see if we see the vision again."

After a couple more scenes, the light appeared before their eyes again, transporting their minds into the world of Shippo's tale.

* * *

"What was a snake doing in my tree?" Inuyasha growled dangerously.

Kagome did nothing except twitch her ears, seemingly annoyed. She had been living with Inuyasha long enough to know that he wouldn't kill her. "What makes you think I have anything to do with it? It might have got there by itself."

Inuyasha trembled with rage. "But snakes know not to go into my tree! They know that I can deal with them! You must have put it there!"

It was Kagome's turn to get angry. "Oh? I think that you are relying too much on me! What's happened to the great and powerful Inuyasha? He can't even take care of a snake!"

Inuyasha was startled by her words and actions. She hadn't shown much spine the first few days of living with him. Now she seemed quite at home with herself. "Keep in mind that I can kill you anytime I want!" he shot back.

"That's great! Kill a girl to show how powerful you are!" Kagome replied without stopping to think. "You coward! You've gotten soft!"

Inuyasha made to strike her but she didn't move an inch. He lowered his hand. "You think I'm relying too much on you? Then leave! I could take care of myself before you came!"

Kagome sniffed. "Fine! I will leave! I found a home for myself!" She stomped off into the woods, leaving Inuyasha alone.

"Who cares? I can fend for myself without her!" Inuyasha growled stubbornly. He went off to find lunch.

Strangely enough, once again, Inuyasha couldn't catch anything. He'd get only so close before he'd make a careless mistake. He wondered why all of a sudden he couldn't seem to do anything. Maybe Kagome was right and he was relying on her too much.

He quickly forced the thought from his mind. He didn't need her at all. At least, that's what he told himself. However, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was no longer master of his territory.

After wandering the forest for awhile, he heard a soft sniffling sound coming from a well on the edge of his land. When he stepped closer to the well, he heard a voice coming from it.

"Stupid Inuyasha...always blaming me for everything that goes wrong...I'll show him...I'll live here by myself...he'll never see me again..."

Inuyasha leaned over the well to see Kagome sitting at the bottom. She was crying softly and looked like she hated every minute of it. Inuyasha slowly made his way down the well and stood behind Kagome. She didn't seem to notice him until he tapped her on the shoulder.

"What do you want?" Kagome snapped. Her face was red and she had tears in her eyes.

Inuyasha turned away. "Huh, I thought you were feeling down. I guess I was wrong." He turned to climb out of the well.

"You big...!" Kagome growled. She picked up a loose rock from the ground and threw it at him. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice and kept climbing. Before he scaled it entirely, he turned to look at the girl. Her head was buried in her hands and she was sobbing again.

"Hey," he called out after a minute's hesitation. "If you want to stay in the well, that's fine with me. But...I'll come and see you sometimes. Don't get the wrong idea, it's just so you won't get attacked again."

Kagome looked up and stared at Inuyasha. He jumped down from the edge of the well and glared at her. "Is that all right with you?" he growled.

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "That...that's fine. Thank you."

Before Inuyasha turned to go, she stepped cautiously toward him and hugged his arm. This time, he didn't object.


	4. Kouga

This is part four of Shippo's Tale. Sorry for not updating in such a long time, but I've been working on all of my other stories.

For all of you curious about my other Inuyasha fic, I'm refusing to update it until I get some reviews. I have a feeling that people are reading, but aren't giving me feedback.

Never mind, though. This is the new chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

Kagome blinked. She had been released from the vision for the moment. At first she had no idea where she was, only that she was holding tight onto something. She also felt someone holding onto her. Slowly, she reached up to rub the last of the vision out of her eyes and looked up. She was clutching onto Inuyasha's arm. He did not seem to be free of the vision yet because he was staring directly at her without seeing her. 

Suddenly his eyes became aware again. He blinked twice and looked down at the arm Kagome was holding. Then he turned bright red and shook her off. "What do you think you're doing?" he whispered violently.

Kagome flushed crimson and retorted, "How the heck should I know? I was still trapped in that vision! Why were YOU holding ME?"

Inuyasha glared at her scathingly. "I think that everybody would be spared if I didn't answer that," he growled.

"Keep it down," a voice called from the front. "We're trying to watch!"

Kagome and Inuyasha looked towards the direction the voice was coming from and sat still.

"Don't think I was getting all lovey-dovey or anything," Inuyasha muttered out the side of his mouth.

Kagome turned scarlet. "I didn't think of it for a second, Inuyasha. Maybe you should sit somewhere..." she was interrupted as Inuyasha's necklace activated and pulled him down towards the ground.

"Sorry," Kagome whispered frantically.

"Save it wench," Inuyasha seethed.

"I mean it, it was an accident!" Inuyasha bared his teeth and snarled.

"Hey, Inuyasha, Kagome, keep it down!" Shippo called, interrupting his own narration. "I know you want to spend some quality time together, but some people are trying to watch!"

The crowd turned to look at them. They blushed furiously with embarrassment and sat down in silence.

Inuyasha buried his head in his hands. "Maybe we would do better to watch the show away from the crowd," he muttered.

"Good idea," Kagome said, slowly scooting away from her spot on the ground. She motioned to Inuyasha for him to follow her.

"Wench," he growled and followed her ruefully, casting a meaningful glance at Miroku and Sango who had been watching them.

"What is the matter with them?" Sango asked Miroku.

He shook his head questioningly. "Who knows? However," he said grinning mischievously, "This means we're alone."

Sango blushed and punched Miroku's arm. "Oh, just watch the movie," she said, trying to calm herself down.

* * *

"So what does this mean?" Inuyasha said from their perch on a large tree. "Your character was hugging mine in Shippo's film. Does this mean that whatever happens there happens here?"

Kagome shook her head. "I'm really not sure. Nothing happened the first time. Maybe that's because we weren't together."

Inuyasha frowned. "What trickery did Shippo put on that thing?" he wondered aloud.

Kagome looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Inuyasha's frown deepened as he looked at Kagome in disbelief. "Don't tell me that you forgot that Shippo specialized in illusions? He could be creating this whole thing. Nobody else seems to notice," he drawled.

Kagome closed her eyes. This was too much. "Well, we won't know unless we watch some more. Let's continue. And paws off," she added.

Inuyasha flushed red with anger. "Don't blame me! You were the one getting all mushy," he muttered.

Kagome silenced him with a glared as they prepared for the travel between realities.

* * *

Inuyasha gnawed on a fish bone as he lay by the river pondering. Kagome had been acting friendly lately and he wondered if something was up. She was normally very stern and at times angry. Since she settled into the well, she seemed to be more carefree and happy. Probably because she doesn't have me to look after, Inuyasha thought, turning over onto his back. His eyes widened with shock as he saw Kagome looming over him. 

"Didn't anyone tell you that bones could give you splinters?" Kagome said good-humoredly, her ears twitching with held in laughter.

Inuyasha's nose twitched. She was much too happy. "What kind of catnip have YOU been sniffing?" he grumbled.

Kagome huffed. "Oh, I forgot you aren't a morning demon," she said tugging on one of his ears. "I just came by to tell you that there's something I think you should see."

Inuyasha's ears perked up with interest. "Really? Something in my territory that I don't know about?"

Kagome nodded, stretching her arms out above her head. "You've got to see it to believe it. It's this way," she added as she sauntered off towards the mountain range. Inuyasha frowned and followed her.

The mountain range was a wide expanse that stretched out beyond the horizon. The sun was low in the east, forcing Inuyasha to squint his eyes. There were several shadows spread out among the rocks below his tree. He growled and flexed his claws. He had not seen these beings before and was prepared for a fight.

"Are they part of your territory?" Kagome asked, not sensing the tension mounting in the area.

"No," Inuyasha seethed. "You did well to bring me here, cat." With that he jumped down the cliff and ran towards the shadowy figures. Kagome's tail bristled in annoyance at his tone. With only a moment's hesitation, she followed him.

The leader of the mysterious figures lifted his head and looked at the approaching Inuyasha. He tossed his long black hair cockily and waved to two of his fellow demons. They followed him as he walked towards the dog demon that was tearing up the hills.

"Who are you? Don't pretend you are a dumb demon! I can see that you aren't." Inuyasha barked commandingly.

The stranger bared a fang, showing defiance. "I am called Kouga. You must be the ruler of these lands." He laughed. "I can see why other demons have said you've gone soft."

Inuyasha frowned, puzzled, until Kouga motioned for him to turn around. Kagome was panting to keep up with him and had stopped to rest.

"Kagome, leave here!" Inuyasha called out harshly. "You'll get in the way!"

Kagome scowled. "Who says I will? I'm staying here!"

Kouga shook his head. "You'd be wise to do as he says, female. There will be a fight." Inuyasha showed the opposing demon his claws. Kouga smirked in response. "Do you mean to protect her? She will be in danger."

Inuyasha shifted his weight so he was slightly crouching. "I don't care about her. She's just a stray that I picked up. She has no meaning to me."

Kouga's grin widened. "Is that so?"

Inuyasha nodded, never taking his eyes off Kouga. "She's just my hunting charm." Kagome's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. Surely she was more than that!

Kouga nodded thoughtfully. "I see," he said. "Then you won't mind if I do this." Kouga rolled forward and called forth a pair of wolves to keep Inuyasha busy. They attacked, fangs bared and running full speed. While Inuyasha held them off, Kouga grabbed Kagome around the waist, hoisted her over his shoulder and fled.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called in fear and desperation. Finished with dispatching the wolves, he turned and watched Kouga make off with her. He stayed there, wrestling with his emotions.

She didn't mean anything to him at all. However, he thought, she feels indebted to me. If I let her get killed, I'd lose my reputation.

His mind made up, he ran after the wolf demon. There was no way that he could kill someone in his territory and get away with it!

* * *

All right, this chapter is finished. I think it will just be a couple more and then this story is done. 

Please review!


	5. Birds of Paridise

Konnichiwa, minna! This is Yukimi again. This story is nearing its end, but a new Inuyasha story of mine has just started. Sorry for the shameless plug. About two or three more chapters and Shippo's Tale will be completed.

Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Enjoy!

* * *

"Let me go!" Kagome yelled, pounding on Kouga's back and struggling with all her might. No good, she thought. He's much too strong.

Baring his teeth at Kagome, the wolf demon snarled, "You are much too rambunctious, even for a demon! Aren't cat demons supposed to be calmer?"

Hissing, Kagome dug her claws into his back. "You obviously don't know much about cats!" she retorted. Kouga yelped with pain and dropped Kagome who fell on the hilly ground with a thump.

Ruefully, Kouga touched the fresh wounds the girl had inflicted on him and grinned slightly. "I like you," he muttered, walking toward her. "You're tough. You hardly ever see that in a demon these days."

Kagome shuddered as he stepped closer. "Back off," she spat and bared her claws again. In response, the wolf demon ducked down, tripped her, and caught her in his arms as she fell. He lowered her to the ground and leaned over her, blocking all chances of escape.

"You'd make a good mate," he said, playing with her ears while looking directly into her eyes, ignoring her wildly twitching tail. Kagome closed her eyes to break from his gaze and struggled to free herself, silently praying for Inuyasha to come soon.

About to make his move, Kouga was interrupted by a fellow demon who came over the hill looking extremely out of breath. "Kouga, we've got trouble!" he shouted, panicked.

Kouga groaned. His fun was spoiled. "What now? Can't you see I'm busy?"

The demon ducked his head. "Sorry, sir, but this can't wait! It's the birds of paradise! They're attacking!"

Kouga sat up in shock, leaving Kagome to breathe a sigh of relief. "Are you sure? The birds of paradise?" he shouted.

The demon henchman nodded. "I'm afraid so, Lord Kouga! They're after the tribal gem!"

Kouga cursed and leapt to his feet. After a second's hesitation, he grabbed a short stabbing dagger and tossed it to Kagome.

Kagome fumbled catching the dagger. Staring at it in confusion, she asked, "What is this for?"

"Self defense," Kouga snapped. "You're a demon, right? Help my clan defend themselves against the monster birds!"

Kagome was about to refuse, but a thought struck her. If I join the battle, she thought quickly, Inuyasha can't miss me! "All right," she agreed and ran after the wolf demon who raced towards the field of battle.

* * *

"Who are the birds of paradise? And what's the tribal gem?" Kagome questioned as Kouga slowed down to let her catch up.

"They are fearsome enemies," Kouga said. "The tribal gem has been passed down through our clan. It carries demonic power, so the birds want it for themselves. They can't help it, you see. While fueled on its power, they are unstoppable warriors, berserkers who do nothing but fight until they are dead. Only their leader is immune to the aura," he continued. "It is he alone that can stop his creatures from killing themselves completely."

Kagome balked, amazed that demons would do that much for power. True, her own father had tried to control the lands, but...

"They are here," Kouga said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. Kagome looked up and gasped, awestruck at the sight. Above her circled fearsome birds with at least two heads each. The leader, identified by its jewelry, had three of them, each regal and commanding. Horrified, Kagome watched as their bodies opened up to reveal sharp teeth.

"Don't shirk. You will fight as good as my wolves," Kouga growled. "Just because you are female does not mean you can deny your demon blood."

Kagome gulped, afraid and exalted by desire to fight that was pulsing through her veins. "I won't," she said determinedly.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was sniffing the air, searching for a scent that smelled even remotely like Kagome. His delicate nose twitched as a foul smell entered his nostrils: the scent of the birds of paradise. "What..." he managed to get out, almost choking from the smell of death and blood. Smelling Kagome's scent mingling with it, he held his breath and sped towards the battle.

* * *

Kagome steeled herself as she fought off hoards of the birds with her dagger and claws. Wolf demons around her everywhere were dying from wounds inflicted by the opposition. Kouga himself had a nasty slash mark down his unprotected back. The bird that did it was lying dead a few feet away.

"Kagome! The tribal gem is ahead! Get it for me so that I can stop the attacking!" Kouga shouted.

Kagome turned and nearly got her head knocked off by a paradise bird. "Why me? I'm sure one of your wolves can do it!"

Kouga gestured toward the scene with one hand while fighting off a bird with another. "You're still strong! You have the best chance!"

Kagome looked around to see the rest of the pack barely clinging to survival. Many more had fallen since she'd last seen the fight. "I have faith in you, Kagome," Kouga said. She couldn't deny that he sounded sincere.

"All right," Kagome said, breaking off her battle with the birds and speeding off towards the source of the demonic aura. Dodging fallen bodies, she picked up her speed, sensing a bird behind her. As soon as she reached the tribal gem and grabbed it, a powerful claw struck her back, knocking her down. The wind blown out of her body, she winced as the bird prepared to strike again, steeling herself for death.

Death never came. Kagome opened her eyes and saw the bird of paradise sliced in half. Inuyasha was standing behind it, breathing heavily with blood on his claws. Kagome's heart leaped: he had come for her after all!

Realization hit her like a lighting bolt. "The tribal gem!" she cried. "If we don't get this to Kouga, we'll..."

Inuyasha pointed to the battle. The birds were scattering, flying away with great speed. "If I'm not mistaken," Inuyasha said, "the one I slew was second in command. The leader just told his birdies to fly away." He spit on the corpse of the bird and walked away. "Come on, Kagome," he commanded.

"Wait," she said and made her way painfully to the wolf leader. In her rush to get the gem, she hadn't noticed that he'd been slashed by a bird. A large, bloody scratch stretched across his chest. "Kouga, are you all right?" Kagome asked.

Kouga laughed slightly, wincing from pain. "You got the gem...good work..." he muttered.

"Kagome, leave the wolf," Inuyasha said. "We have to leave now or more will come to eat the bodies."

Kagome glared at him and started tearing off strips of her clothing. "I'm not leaving."

"What do you mean you aren't leaving?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Kouga's injured. We can't just let him die here. Help me make a splint," she requested, using the strips of clothing to bandage his wounds.

Inuyasha stared at her, dumbstruck. "You mean you are willing to put your life on the line to make sure the demon that KIDNAPPED you stays alive?" he said between gritted teeth, his anger and jealously flaring at her stupidity and kindness towards this opposing force.

"Of course," she said, her voice slightly tinged with anger and impatience. "He may have kidnapped me, but he was kind to me."

Unknowingly, Kagome had said exactly the wrong thing. Inuyasha walked away from the scene, trembling with rage. After he got back into his territory, he couldn't help wondering if she would have done the same for him. His mind traveled back to the kindness in her voice and eyes as she sat there, tearing her clothes to help the wolf.


	6. A Brief Conference

This is the last chapter of Shippo's Tale. I must warn you, my story endings aren't always good. Please review and tell me how I could improve.

The general consensus about the last chapter seemed to be that I should have put more interaction outside of the fantasy. To tell you the truth, I couldn't really think of anything. However, I think you'll be pleased about this chapter.

Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha.

* * *

Kagome blinked and stared wide eyed at the scene around her. To her surprise, she was no longer in Kaede's village watching Shippo's movie. She was in a forest thick with trees. Beside her was Inuyasha who also looked extremely confused. He sniffed the air and growled. "On to stage two of the illusion," he muttered.

Kagome gasped and turned to face him. "I didn't know you were here!" She shuddered. "I guess we aren't in Kaede's village anymore."

Inuyasha shifted his eyes and sniffed again. "Someone's coming," he whispered. He quickly grabbed Kagome and sped off into the bushes as two figures entered the area.

"Stop yelling at me, Inuyasha! I was only trying to do the right thing!" a female voice shouted.

"The right thing? You were all over him! Can you honestly tell me that you don't care for that wolf?" a male voice replied wrathfully.

Inuyasha and Kagome stared openmouthed as almost exact doubles of themselves entered the forest. The only difference between them was that Inuyasha was covered in battle scars and Kagome sported cat ears and a tail. Kagome was also dressed differently, wearing leopard patterned clothes.

"Yes I can," Kagome said hotly. "Keep in mind that he protected me."

"He sent you into battle without even telling you the circumstances! He didn't even know if you could fight! Do you call that protection?"

Kagome's tail bristled. "I AM a demon, Inuyasha! Don't you think that I could take care of myself? What do you think THESE are for?" she demanded, baring her claws. "Jealousy isn't a good feature for a demon to have," she added.

Inuyasha's face turned red. "You think I'M jealous? Over you?" He quickly regained his composure and crossed his arms stubbornly. "You think too highly of yourself. Why would I want to mate with a prissy, bossy, nosy CAT demon anyways? The wolf can have you."

Kagome clenched her fists and hissed angrily, "So that's what you think of me?"

Inuyasha nodded without looking at her. "Of course! Why would I lie?" He failed to notice that Kagome's demonic aura was rising with every word he spoke.

Suddenly, her anger faded as she sighed deeply. "Then you don't have to put up with me," she said softly.

Inuyasha turned to look at her and noticed tears in her eyes. "What?" he asked.

Kagome turned around and shouted over her retreating back, "Don't try to follow me!" She ran out of sight, leaving Inuyasha alone to watch her go.

Inuyasha snorted and left the opposite way. "Who cares?" he muttered. "I sure don't."

The real Inuyasha and Kagome sat in stupefied shock as they watched their doubles leave. One thought entered their minds: "How on Earth could they be so stupid?"

Nodding to each other, they parted to follow their respective clones.

* * *

"Wait a second!" Kagome called as she ran after her demon form.

The girl spun around and her eyes widened with surprise. "Who are you?" she shouted. "You look exactly like me!"

Kagome sighed. "I AM you, sort of. Only not." She shook her head. "I can't really explain.

The demon Kagome sniffed and her ears twitched. "Hold on," she said slowly. "You're a human, aren't you?" She looked Kagome over and frowned. "You're dressed strangely. Where are you from?"

Kagome glared at her other self. "That's not important. For the sake of keeping it simple, I'm going to call you Kagome-ko, all right?"

"Sure, but how do you know my name?"

Kagome sighed impatiently. "That's not important either! Why did you act like that to Inuyasha?"

* * *

Yards away, Inuyasha stopped running and listened. Somehow, he could hear their conversation. His ears twitched as Kagome and her alternate spoke.

"What do you mean, why? He was being a total jerk!" Kagome-ko replied. "He was acting completely jealous too! I mean, I was just bandaging Kouga's wounds and he thinks..."

"Of course he thinks that!" Kagome shouted, startling her double into silence. "You weren't really doing a good job of defending yourself either, you know." She took Kagome-ko's hands and looked into her eyes, trying to burn her intentions into her brain. "He's jealous because he cares about you. That's just his way of showing it."

Inuyasha turned red and scratched his head. What was Kagome doing?

"You really think so...? But we only met a few days ago. He said I was just his hunting charm..."

"He's just trying to act tough. That's the way he is. Don't buy into his act, you'll only encourage him." Kagome shook her head and smiled, her cheeks faintly tainted pink. "After all, he came to help you, didn't he?"

Kagome-ko took a strand of her hair and twirled it in between her fingers. "Yeah...he saved my life twice..." she whispered.

"And you care about him, don't you?" Kagome said. The other girl nodded, still twirling her hair. "Don't be so stubborn. It doesn't get anything done."

Kagome-ko whispered, "I know."

Kagome nodded and patted her twin on the back. "See? It's only because he cares. He's really sweet inside. Now go apologize." Kagome shook her head again. "I don't want you to make the same mistake I did back then."

Kagome-ko looked as if she were about to ask her something and then thought better of it. She bowed and went in the direction Kagome had come from. "Thank you!" she called back.

* * *

As Inuyasha reached his destination, Kagome's human ears burned. His voice resounded in her head, accompanied by an identical one.

"What is your deal?" Inuyasha shouted. "Do you realize what you just did?"

"She was being unreasonable!" his twin replied. "Accusing me of being jealous..."

"But you were, weren't you?"

That stopped him cold. "Well...yeah, a bit."

"Then why didn't you just say that? Why did you cover it up, you moron!" Inuyasha demanded, looking as if he hated every word he was hearing.

The other Inuyasha's face turned bright red. "I don't know!"

"I'll tell you why," Inuyasha said. "It was because you didn't want to look weak. Because you didn't want to admit it. Do you know what she thinks? She thinks you're a jerk who makes girls cry just because he doesn't want to look soft." Inuyasha bit back his anger and turned pink. "She doesn't like that, and neither do you. So why do it?"

Kagome covered her mouth as tears started to well up in her eyes. Was he for real?

Inuyasha grasped his alternate's shoulder and glared icily at him. "She's gone to that well of hers. Apologize to her. A sweet girl like that doesn't deserve the pain you're putting her through."

The other glanced down. "What do you know?" he muttered.

Inuyasha looked down as well, too embarrassed to dignify the question with a direct answer. "Just go," he said. "Make it right."

* * *

Suddenly, Inuyasha and Kagome were back in the tree in Kaede's village. Their eyes were half veiled with the vision. Unable to look at each other, they waited to see if their words took affect.

Kagome was standing next to the well that she called her home. She waited with her tail between her legs as Inuyasha approached her, a thoughtful look on his face. He started to speak, but found that he had nothing to say.

Kagome came toward him and grabbed his arm in a half hug. "Inuyasha...I..." she said.

Inuyasha pulled her close and held her. "Don't," he said. "I know..."

* * *

Still half entranced, the real Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha. He stared at her so placidly, it seemed like he was still trapped in the vision.

But, she noticed, there was something in his eyes that said otherwise. He was aware. This wasn't like the last time when they found themselves in each others' arms.

Just as the characters in the film did, they pulled themselves closer to each other. Kagome tilted her head up to look Inuyasha in the eyes and whispered, "Did you mean all of that?"

Inuyasha blushed softly, but his expression didn't change. "Yeah...I didn't know you heard me." He frowned slightly, still looking into her eyes. "Did you mean what you said?"

Kagome blushed and nodded. "I guess," she added after a moment, "we're just a couple of pretenders, huh?"

Hesitating, Inuyasha slowly leaned forward towards Kagome's face. With his only inches away, Kagome leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his.

She finally recognized Shippo's tale. She and Inuyasha had gone through the exact same thing. She didn't realize it until now, but the chain of events had almost made things worse.

It was better now, she thought, as Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her to stop her from falling. She put hers around his neck and deepened their embrace thinking, this is right.

* * *

His movie done, Shippo stopped the projector and bowed, marinating in his audiences applause. Staring at the place beside Sango and Miroku where Kagome had been sitting only a while ago, he frowned and searched frantically for the missing girl. He finally spotted her and Inuyasha in the large oak a few yards away.

Grinning, Shippo briefly considered drawing the crowd's attention to them, and discarded the idea. After all, he reasoned, hadn't he put them through enough embarrassment? They deserved a moment alone.

Bowing one more time, he gathered his materials and left, rejoicing that his plan had worked so well.

* * *

That's my story! Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed, especially Dark Inu Fan for reviewing every chapter!

Please read my other work if you enjoyed this. Ja ne!


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